Poetry & Analysis
Selected Poems
Inspirational PoemsOpportunity
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:—
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince’s banner
Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel—
That blue blade that the king’s son bears,—but this
Blunt thing—!” he snapped and flung it from his hand,
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.
Overview Short Summary
Sill’s poem shows two different responses to difficulty. One person rejects a flawed tool and quits; another uses the same tool with courage and wins the battle.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Opportunity: The chance for victory may appear in imperfect form.
- Determination: The hero acts with what is available.
- Overcoming obstacles: The poem warns against waiting for perfect conditions.
Interpretation Symbols and Their Meaning
The broken sword symbolizes limited resources. The battlefield symbolizes life’s challenges. The prince’s courage shows how perseverance can transform weakness into opportunity.
No Coward Soul Is Mine
No coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere:
I see Heaven’s glories shine,
And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.
O God within my breast,
Almighty, ever-present Deity!
Life—that in me has rest,
As I—undying Life—have power in Thee!
Vain are the thousand creeds
That move men’s hearts: unutterably vain;
Worthless as withered weeds,
Or idlest froth amid the boundless main,
To waken doubt in one
Holding so fast by Thine infinity;
So surely anchored on
The steadfast rock of immortality.
With wide-embracing love
Thy Spirit animates eternal years,
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.
Though earth and man were gone,
And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou wert left alone,
Every existence would exist in Thee.
There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou—Thou art Being and Breath,
And what Thou art may never be destroyed.
Overview Short Summary
Emily Brontë’s poem is a declaration of fearless faith. The speaker rejects fear, doubt, and death by anchoring the soul in something eternal.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Spiritual strength: Faith arms the speaker against fear.
- Perseverance through storms: The world is “storm-troubled,” but the soul does not tremble.
- Immortality: The poem sees life as stronger than death.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is bold, solemn, and visionary. The mood is powerful because the speaker speaks as if no worldly force can break the soul.
Success Is Counted Sweetest
Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne’er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.
Not one of all the purple Host
Who took the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of victory
As he defeated—dying—
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear!
Overview Short Summary
Dickinson suggests that people who struggle or lose understand success more deeply than those who win easily. The poem connects perseverance with the painful knowledge that comes from defeat.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Success and failure: Failure sharpens the meaning of victory.
- Desire: Need makes success feel sweeter.
- Perseverance: The defeated figure understands the value of the goal most clearly.
Craft Literary Devices
The poem uses paradox, battlefield imagery, and contrast between winners and the defeated soldier to explain the emotional value of success.
Reader Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good poem about perseverance?
A good classic poem about perseverance is “Perseverance” by Alice Cary because it explains patient effort through simple images such as drops making a sea and steady work making a winner win. “Invictus,” “If—,” and “Try, Try Again” are also strong choices.
Which short poems about perseverance are easy for students?
“Try, Try Again,” “The Winds of Fate,” “Will,” and “Perseverance” are useful for students because their messages are direct: keep trying, set your direction, trust determined effort, and understand that success takes time.
What poems are about never giving up?
Classic poems about never giving up include “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley, “If—” by Rudyard Kipling, “Keep A-Pluggin’ Away” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and “Columbus” by Joaquin Miller.
What themes appear in poems about perseverance?
Common themes include resilience, courage, patience, hard work, determination, hope, self-control, spiritual strength, and the ability to continue after failure or disappointment.
Are these perseverance poems public domain?
The poems selected here are classic/public-domain works or older poems from public-domain authors and sources. Modern copyrighted motivational poems have been avoided.
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